a reason to live(64)

“What, man?” Joel asked, trying to break the hold Shane’s had on his arm.

“Sage doesn’t have time to talk. She’s being paid to work. And I need you to get a message to Chester.”

“You afraid of a little competition, Sherman?”

“I’m not your competition.”

Liar.

“Damn straight you’re not,” Joel snickered.

Shane shoved him when they reached the trailhead and pointed a finger at Joel’s face.

“Stay away from Sage and I’ll let you live,” he bit out.

Joel’s cocky demeanor slipped and he raised his hands. “My bad, man, I thought you were gay. I wouldn’t have made a play if I knew she was yours.”

Shane froze and then scowled.

“I’m not . . . She isn’t . . . Fuck me, I’m gonna wring Suzy’s neck . . . Just get a message to Chester for me. Tell him there was an unknown man in the woods keepin’ an eye on Sage.”

“You think the stalker is followin’ her on the rafting trip?”

“How did . . . Never mind, with Maxine involved, the whole town knows. Just get the message to Chester.”

“On it,” Joel said then turned and took off down the trail.

When Shane made his way back to camp, Gregor was waiting for him. “You sure she ain’t your girl?” he hooted when Shane walked past.

“Shut it, old man,” Shane ordered. He ignored Gregor’s chuckle, kept walking, and went to work checking the rafts for leaks.

Lunch was quick. The rafters were still jazzed from the first leg and chomping at the bit to hit the water again.

Shane had kept his distance from Sage as they loaded for the second leg. She’d gotten the hang of her equipment the day before, so he had no need to check her. She didn’t look as nervous as before the morning run, but he could tell she was still apprehensive.

The need to reassure her sat like lead in his gut, but he ignored it, climbed into his kayak, and waited. They had a waterfall to navigate in one hundred yards, and he needed his wits about him. If they didn’t hit the falls in the right position, the drop could dislodge the rafters, pulling them into the falls and under.

Shane kept his attention locked on Sage as they paddled.

His gut burned hotter as they grew closer to the falls, and he picked up his pace. Just like the day Emma had lost her life, his instincts told him to be ready for anything.

Then it happened.

Fifty yards from the waterfall, Sage turned her head and looked at him. Then she jerked and turned entirely in her seat, distracted.

“Turn around,” Shane thundered.

Her raft hit a wave, jolting the front before Gregor could grab hold of her. Sage lost her balance and fell back, her feet coming out from under her. Shane watched helplessly as she hit the water. Gregor threw out a line as he tried to steer around her and missed.

Fear the likes he’d never experienced pumped through his veins as he watched her head for the falls.

Pumping his arms double time, slicing through the rough water as quickly as he could, Shane navigated around the rafts, his attention zeroed in on Sage as she fought the current.

Directly ahead of her was a boulder. She would collide with it within moments, and if the river didn’t pin her against it, possibly drowning her with its force, she’d spit out the other side and over the falls.

Waves crashed over her head, pushing her below the surface, then she popped up sputtering for air. She tried to get on her back like he’d taught her, but the rapidly flowing river tumbled her. Shane was within ten feet of her when she hit the boulder. The water’s crushing power pinned her there, pushing tons of water into her face.

Shane roared, “Sage!” when she went under. The only visible parts of her body were her hands pinned against the rock—reaching out for help.

At the last second, Shane turned and headed for the bank. Ripping free of his kayak, he bound back into the water, swam to the backside of the boulder where the current was calmer, and pulled himself up to the top. He lay on his stomach and reached over, trying to reach her hands. He snagged one at the wrist and started pulling until her head was clear of the water.

“Hang on, baby,” Shane shouted as she coughed water out, gasping for air.

He tried to pull her higher so he could reach her other arm, but she began to slip. “Don’t let go,” she coughed out, clawing at his arm.

“I won’t let you go. Reach up and grab my hand,” he ordered. A surge of water pushed Sage further around the side, and he followed so he wouldn’t lose hold. She turned her body so she was cast to rock and looked up at him with frightened eyes.

Using his feet, he inched forward like a worm and reached down further over the side. “Baby, give me your other hand.”